Fairbanks Snowfall Totals & Accumulation Averages

How Often it Snows in Fairbanks

The next two tables list monthly and yearly totals for amount of snow and how many days it snows at least 0.1 inches (0.25 centimetres).

10-year snowfall averages in Fairbanks, 2010 to 2019

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
2.6	January	7.5	18.9
3.5	February	12.6	31.9
2.2	March	5.6	14.2
1.4	April	2.9	7.3
0.1	May	0.3	0.7
0.3	September	2.2	5.6
1.4	October	3.9	10.0
4.9	November	13.8	35.1
3.9	December	12.1	30.7
20.3	Year	60.8	154.4

30-year snowfall averages in Fairbanks, 1991 to 2020

Days		Inches	Centi­metres
10.2	January	9.4	23.9
8.0	February	9.7	24.6
6.6	March	6.5	16.5
3.0	April	3.8	9.7
0.5	May	0.6	1.5
1.0	September	1.6	4.1
6.8	October	6.4	16.3
10.7	November	11.2	28.4
9.9	December	10.4	26.4
56.7	Year	59.6	151.4

These averages don't show how much the snowfall in Fairbanks varies from year to year.

In December, for instance, one in four years totals over 13.5 inches of snow. Another 25 percent of years receive less than 6.2 inches for the month.

Similarly in January, fresh snowfall in the heaviest years amounts to 11.5 inchesor more, while the lightest years get less than 4.6 inches.

New snow for February ranges from over 13.3 inches in heavy snowfall years to under 4.3 inches in light years.

When Fairbanks Has Its First & Last Snowfalls

It often starts snowing at Fairbanks in September, although in some years September has no snow.

The season's last snowfall typically happens in April, but every few years, more snow lands in May.

Fairbanks is normally free of snow every year from June to August.

How Many Snowstorms Fairbanks Gets

Most days of snowfall in Fairbanks leave just a skiff, amounting to less than an inch, of fresh snow on the ground. For 20 days a year on average, the amount of new snow totals at least an inch.

Snowstorms of over five inches a day on average occur once a year. Major blizzards that dump ten inches or more in one day are rare events that arrive just once a decade.

Number of days per month and year on average in Fairbanks with a total snowfall of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
3.0	0.8	January	0.1	0.0
2.8	0.9	February	0.4	0.0
2.0	0.3	March	0.2	0.0
1.3	0.3	April	0.0	0.0
0.2	0.0	May	0.0	0.0
0.3	0.1	September	0.1	0.1
2.3	0.4	October	0.0	0.0
4.3	0.7	November	0.0	0.0
3.4	0.6	December	0.1	0.0
19.6	4.1	Year	0.9	0.1

How Much Snow Normally Accumulates in Fairbanks

Throughout the winter months, Fairbanks has more than five inches of snow on the ground.

Snow mostly accumulates during January to March. Typically, nearly every day in those months, plus much of December and April, the snow covering Fairbanks amounts to at least ten inches deep. The snow amounts to 20 inches or more deep on an average of 37 days a year.

Average total days per month and year in Fairbanks with snow depth of at least 1, 3, 5 or 10 inches on the ground

1 inch 2.5 cm	3 inches 7.6 cm		5 inches 12.7 cm	10 inches 25.4 cm
31.0	31.0	January	31.0	28.2
28.5	28.5	February	28.5	28.0
31.0	31.0	March	31.0	30.6
21.3	19.6	April	18.5	14.2
0.7	0.5	May	0.4	0.4
0.4	0.2	September	0.2	0.1
14.2	6.6	October	2.6	0.0
29.0	25.1	November	18.4	4.3
31.0	31.0	December	29.7	19.0
187.1	173.5	Year	160.3	124.8